• By Leslie Rose
• Posted Monday, November 25, 2024

Volunteers Grow Produce to Feed Forsyth County Community

According to Feeding America, almost 40,000 adults and 19,280 children in Forsyth County are food insecure (2022). In order to alleviate food insecurity in the local community, N.C. Cooperative Extension, Forsyth County Center, has partnered with H.O.P.E. of Winston-Salem. H.O.P.E. distributes meals, including fresh fruits and vegetables, to children and families struggling with food insecurity in Forsyth County.

The Forsyth County Demonstration Garden, located at the N.C. Cooperative Extension, Forsyth County Center, includes raised beds for growing vegetables, as well as fruit trees and shrubs. Under the direction of Forsyth County Horticulture Agents, NC State Extension Master Gardener (EMG) volunteers care for the Demonstration Garden. Volunteers gave 1,163 hours of their time to help in the Demonstration Garden in 2024, including maintaining the landscape and growing and harvesting fruits and vegetables. Extension has partnered with H.O.P.E. of Winston-Salem to donate the produce grown in the Demonstration Garden to families in the local community.

During the 2024 growing season, volunteers harvested 597 pounds of produce in the Demonstration Garden, including blueberries, green beans, cucumbers, tomatoes, squash, eggplant, okra, figs, and more. H.O.P.E. of Winston-Salem distributes an average of 1,300 meals to children and 445 produce bags to families each weekend. Through this partnership between Extension and H.O.P.E., produce from the Forsyth County Demonstration Garden reaches thousands of people in the local community and helps alleviate hunger.